Resetting the Planet Means Resetting Our Food

By Deepak Chopra, ™ MD, FACP, Poonacha Machaiah, Rajnish Khanna, PhD

The way we eat has changed the planet. In this simple idea, which few of us consider when we go to the grocery store, lies immense hope for the future—if we pay attention. On the medical front a large number of people accept the notion, once thought of as a fringe belief, that “you are what you eat.” The decisions you make today about what you eat will have a huge impact in your future health. Food plays a decisive factor in modern lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and all the damaging side effects related to the epidemic of obesity in this country.

The next step in our growing awareness expands on the same idea. The next bite you take adds to the health of planet Earth or pushes it a tiny step toward deterioration. Unconscious eating is bad for the environment. Conscious eating puts the planet on the road to renewal and wellness.

We can heal the environment by thinking from the ground up, quite literally. The health of soils around the world is essential to keeping the entire planet in balance. This truth has dawned with the rise of the word “microbiome,” which is gaining wide circulation. The microbiome is comprised of the genetic material of all microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and viruses) in a specific place, such as the human gut, in the soil, in water, or on the skin. Each local microbiome is intricately connected to other microbiomes, thereby linking all living organisms together.

One man’s trash another man’s treasure.

In the past, it was more common for Canada to ship its recycled plastic overseas to be processed. As Quinn Campbell reports, a southern Alberta business based in Nobleford is taking recycled plastics… full circle.

Nobleford, Alta., recycling company uses local plastic for area projects.

“Our goal is to create value out of waste.”
Four-and-a-half years ago, Beekman started running Full Circle Plastics in Nobleford, Alta.
The company started making products for the construction industry. Now, it’s expanded into oil and gas, agriculture and residential products, just to name a few. 

Bay Area startup Trash Warrior eyes West Coast growth after securing new funding. Uber for Trash.

The San Francisco-based technology company, founded last year, is looking to make its mark in the area by competing on price and following a familiar “Uber for trash” dream.

Uber for Trash Concept – Circular Economy

The concept of creating an “Uber for Trash” has gotten plenty of media buzz in recent years. Now, a new West Coast player called Trash Warrior is also citing Uber as inspiration and has backing from venture capital firms.

Fittingly, this tech startup is based in San Francisco, the birthplace and setting for the ride-sharing company’s rise. Founded in 2019, Trash Warrior’s service offers on-demand removal of junk, furniture and cardboard through a platform linking to a network of third-party haulers, allowing residential and commercial customers to schedule pick-ups and pay online.

Bay Area startup Trash Warrior eyes West Coast growth after securing new funding

Expired Milk 100% Recycled

Expired Milk 100% Recycled

Resiliency Means Not Letting Anything Go to Waste
How Reinford Farms Turns Waste Into Energy

At Rubicon®, we believe it is important to highlight every aspect of our work, from the men and women who manage our waste and recycling, to our customers as they take the lead in the fight against COVID-19, to our city partners as they tackle the war on waste.

Last year, shortly before launching a line of perishable food products, a large national variety store chain approached us wanting to learn more about our organics recycling offerings. Up to that point, Rubicon had primarily worked with the customer on plastics, paper, and cardboard recycling. But the retailer understood that selling fresh food would present a different challenge. 

Prior to launching their line of perishable food products, the discount chain had only been selling packaged food. Their distributors would drop-ship the food items to them and take away expired product. After launching, the company became responsible for doing something with their expired products, including expired milk—a special challenge.

By: Ryan Cooper, Waste Diversion Manager and Organics Recycling Lead July 23, 2020

The circular economy

Of all the materials we extract globally, only 10% ends up in products. The rest is wasted along the supply chain or dispersed into the environment, before it even reaches the hands of consumers. Even then, 80% of products end up in our waste system within six months, where they have little chance of ever returning to products again (Girling, 2011). Out of all of the materials that leave the global economy each year, only around 10% is recycled into new products, while the rest ends up in an incinerator or landfill (Haas, Krausmann, Wiederhofer & Heinz, 2015).